6 FRESH WATER PI8H 



L. *ELLIPSOIDEA. . PI. 2, fig. 1 3. 



Body compressed and deep ; dorsal fin higher than 

 long, rounded above the ventral : a large scapular 

 scale. 



Total length of the body three and a half times 

 that of the head, by one and a half in depth. Snout 

 short, jaws very protractile and narrow, armed wi h 

 compressed and curved teeth, each terminated by 

 three or four points. Head flattened above, between 

 the eyes ; the greatest thickness of the body is be- 

 tween the opercula, very compressed towards the 

 tail. The opercula are large and strong, and with- 

 out denticulation. Eyes large, approaching the end 

 of the snout, and placed at the summit of the head. 

 Anterior lamina of the operculum, scaly, poste- 

 rior lamina even, perhaps deciduous The scales 

 which cover the body are large, and more truncated 

 than arounded, marked with concentric lines. A 

 large scale upon the head between the eyes, sur- 

 rounded with lesser ones near to the point of the 

 snout. Dorsal fin high, arounded, placed above the 

 ventral, abdominal fius very small, their extremity 

 touching the anal ; the anal fin small and round ; 

 pectoral middle-sized, the extremity prolonged to 

 half the length of the veutral ; caudal mostly unequal, 

 enlarged and elongated posteriorly, and obliquely 

 truncated. 



Color a very deep brown. 



Observations — There is a membrane attached 

 to the base of the scapular scale, and to the opercu- 



